Before we talk about Australian Working Holiday Visas you should know that this page may contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through a link. I only give product recommendations for things I enjoy. Please feel free to check out my full policy/disclaimers!

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been talking about doing a Working Holiday Visa in Australia for years. Working Holiday Visas offer a chance to travel a country while working to supplement your adventures. What could be a better way of seeing a country as massive as Australia?

While I’ve been talking about it for years, I didn’t put a lot of effort into learning as much as possible about how to make it a reality. I kept putting it off and thinking that I had more time. But, these visas have age restrictions! That means you can’t get them forever. In this post, I will tell you about all of the steps I took to get a Working Holiday Visa and make my dream a reality. That way, you can make it a reality too!

Last year, I decided to finally buckle down and cross this item off of my bucket list. After a discussion with my partner, he decided that he would like to join me. And the adventure began!

If this is a bucket list item for you then there is no time like the present to get it done!

What You Need to Know About Australian Working Holiday Visas

Australia offers two different working holiday visas that sound very similar. One is the Australia Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) and the other is the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462). The deciding factor in which visa you would choose is where you are from.

For example, I am from Canada so I am in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417.

If you are from any of these countries, you would be too:

Belgium

Canada

Republic of Cyprus

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Hong Kong

Republic of Ireland

Italy

Japan

Republic of Korea

Malta

Netherlands

Norway

Sweden

Taiwan

United Kingdom

To be eligible for this visa you must meet the following requirements:

The applicant must be between the ages of 18-30 years old. Unless you happen to be from Ireland or Canada then the age is extended until 35 years old.

Your passport must be valid for the duration of your visa.

You have not previously had a Subclass 462 visa.

There is no one dependent on you (Like children).

The applicant must have good character and no criminal record. Or, Australian debts.

Finally, you must have $5000 to support yourself once you arrive.

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

You’ll be looking at the Work and Holiday Visa Subclass 462 if you are from:

Argentina

Austria

Chile

China, People’s Republic of

Czech Republic

Hungary

Indonesia

Israel

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Peru

Poland

Portugal

San Marino

Singapore

Slovak Republic

Slovenia

Spain

Thailand

Turkey

United States of America

Uruguay

Vietnam

The eligibility requirements are very similar for this visa and include:

Applicants must be between the ages of 18-30 years old.

Again, an eligible passport.

You may not have previously had a visa under subclass 417 (Discussed above).

No children!

Meet the education and English requirements. These may vary depending on your passport.

You must have the support of the government in your home country.

You must have a suitable amount of money to support yourself. For instance, $5000 and enough to buy a return ticket home.

Both of these visas will allow you to work and travel to Australia for up to 12 months. During that time, you are allowed to leave Australia and return as many times as you like. If working while on the visa you cannot have the same employer for more than six months.

The availability of this visa made it possible to cross this item off my bucket list. These visas exist for you to travel and work! How convenient.

Once I figured out which visa to get, the next hurdle was the application process.

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

Working Holiday Visa Application Process

At the time of writing, my visa fee was $450. This has to be paid at the time of the application. The Australian government’s website states that it can take up to 35 days to be approved for this visa. However, both my partner and I were accepted almost immediately.

That being said, I would apply ahead of time. I don’t know how consistent those visa processing times are. Once your visa is approved, you will have up to a year to enter the country. This means that you have plenty of time to apply before you leave.

What do you need to apply?

Your passport needs to be ready to go. You will need the passport number which you will be travelling with. If your passport needs to be renewed then you will have to have done this first.

The visa fees.

$5000 support funds. While proof of this wasn’t necessary, it is required to enter the country so make sure you have it by the time you leave if not the time you apply.

If you have been doing research on visas, you might have noticed that there are agencies willing to handle the application process for a fee. Honestly, the process is so easy that I don’t consider this a good use of money.

At one point, years ago, when I thought I would be solo moving here I did consider using Swap to arrange the visa for me. The reason I was thinking of going with them was on the ground support they offer. It can be handy for finding new friends. But, if you follow these steps then you really shouldn’t need help applying for the visa.

You might be wondering what questions are on the application. First, they will request your basic passport information. All of the answers to these questions can be found on the biodata page of your passport. But, it is basically just your name, passport number, expiry date and where the passport was issued.

There was a question about a health examination. I did not have one and I stated the fact but it didn’t appear to cause any issues.

They ask questions about your usual occupations at home and what work you might be looking for in Australia. Next up is your contact information and some standard health questions. Finally, they want to know if you have a criminal record.

And, that’s basically a wrap! Easy peezy. I printed out my approval form to bring to the airport with me just in case.

Final Thoughts:

There you have it! Here is one of the best ways of long-term travelling to Australia. I am so glad that I finally made the effort to get myself down here. It was well worth it. One of the first things that we did here was a Great Ocean Road trip.

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Before we talk about your Egypt bucket list, you should know that this page may contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through a link. I only give product recommendations for things I enjoy. Please feel free to check out my full policy/disclaimers!

Egypt should be on everyone’s bucket list. There’s intrigue in the Pyramids and magnificence in the relics. Egypt is so rich with history, I cannot even begin to explain it all in a simple blog post. It is much better seen in person.

You might be wondering, is Egypt safe? Well having finally gotten the opportunity to visit, I can say absolutely! There are some areas that aren’t safe but all of the places listed in this post are safe to visit in 2019. If you actually look at the travel advisories, the area surrounding the Nile is excluded from the danger zones. The turmoil of recent years has settled and Egypt is ready to welcome back the millions that used to gaze at the temples in awe. The idea of Egypt has been with me since childhood and nothing about my trip disappointed.

Intrepid Travel Egypt Experience tour matched almost everything that we wanted to do. Plus, we were able to extend our trip a little to finish off the rest of the things we were missing.

If you’re thinking about doing a tour of Egypt, make sure that it includes all of these stops. Or, at least gives you the option to add them!

Egypt Bucket List

The Great Pyramids of Giza & The Sphinx

Do I even need to say it? You cannot go all the way to Egypt and not see the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. It is breathtaking. For an extra 300 EGP, you can go inside of one of the Pyramids. For me, this was well worth it. However, it can be a little bit cramped and hard on the knees.

This still doesn’t feel real.

The Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum has thousands of Egyptian relics. They recently built a new location closer to the Pyramids so at the time we visited not everything was there as some had been moved. However, the collection was so impressive I don’t even know what we would have missed. The Mummy Rooms are also well worth paying to see. At one point during the conflict, looters tried to hit the museum. The response? All of the Egyptian tour guides banded together and went down to the museum to protect the relics. How amazing is that passion for your history?

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple was not an included cost in our Intrepid tour; however, we opted to visit it and were not disappointed. No matter how many temples we’ve saw on this trip they never got less impressive.

Luxor Temple.

Hot Air Balloon over the Valley of Kings/Luxor

While you’re in Luxor, do a hot air balloon. Not every tour includes this (Intrepid Travel Get on it!). But the views are unapparelled.

Alexandria Library

The Alexandria Library is more than just a library. It is one of the largest in the world and has its own little museum inside.

Philae Temple

Philae Temple was moved from its original location but you wouldn’t know that by looking at it. Its current location has you transported via boat to its new island home.

Perk of going to Egypt right now? No other tourists in your photos.

Valley of the Kings

Taking pictures inside the tombs does cost a fee. However, this is to discourage everyone from doing it and in the long run helps preserve the tombs and temples. You will be amazed at how much original colour has preserved through time.

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is one of those places that will take your breath away. There is an extra fee to take pictures inside of the temple. As there are for most temples in Egypt.

Tiny little me, massive landmark.

Saqqarra & Memphis

Also known as the Step Pyramid. Saqqarra is a pyramid in a different style.

10. Hatchepsut temple

Hatchepsut was a bad ass woman. No Egypt bucket list is complete without learning about her history.

Cairo Citadel

This is a UNESCO World Hertitage Site and it is easy to see why. The fortress is home to three mosques and four museums.

Karnak Temple

Luxor is regarded as one of the world’s largest open-air museums. Karnak Temple is one of the reasons why.

Sail a Felucca on the Nile

This is a relaxing way to spend time on The Nile.

Felucca the Nile

Dendera Temple

This was our favourite temple. The blues are so well-preserved, it’s mind-blowing.

Temple of Kom Ombo

While we didn’t get to see any Nile Crocodiles, the temple was still neat. Plus, there is a mummified crocodile museum to behold.

Grand Bazaar Khan el Khalili

Barter to your heart’s content. Even if you don’t want to purchase something, have a wander and let the hustle and bustle assail your senses.

I love a market.

Survive a Street Crossing in Cairo

Seriously, its wild. I would say it is the only time I felt unsafe in my entire trip in Egypt. You essentially play frogger with the traffic.

Bent Pyramid

The Bent Pyramid was a design flaw. This is why you get an architect.

Note: I did not list Edfu Temple here. While, the pictures I’ve seen are lovely, Edfu is not endorsed by Intrepid. The reason is this, the animals that are used to transport you there are treated poorly. As such, Intrepid is encouraging travellers to hit the locals in the only place it hurts- the wallet. I do not condone animal abuse and as such, we skipped it. This is another reason that I like Intrepid.

Safety:

At no time in our tour or solo days did we feel unsafe. Yes, there were security checkpoints for museums and landmarks (There would be anywhere else too). Many hotels also had these checkpoints as well.

Egypt has tourism police. Their job is to ensure the safety of the tourists. As our guide explained, with the tours, the police keep track of who is where and doing what. They then place plain-clothed officers at the sites in accordance. But, you wouldn’t even know that your safety is being monitored.

Nothing looks unsafe and nothing ever feels unsafe.

The one thing I would note is that, tourism was one of Egypt’s biggest sources of income. So, the downturn of tourism, has caused a lot of hard times for the people. We found that people were often more desperate and pushier to make sales. At landmarks such as temples, locals would follow us around offering unsolicited advice about where to look and then insisting that we pay them. It was sometimes hard to escape the demands for unsolicited tourism services.

At one temple, we had a man follow us around for way too long trying to guide us. Unfortunately, it did dampen the experience a little because he wouldn’t leave us alone and we did not want to pay him to point out things that we were already looking at anyway.

Hopefully, these practices will stop once tourism goes up.

The flipside is that people were excited to see us! We had numerous requests for locals to take pictures with us or parents wanting their kids to take photos with us. Now normally, my pickpocketing radar would be up but that never happened. As far as I could tell it was a genuine interest.

Final Thoughts:

It has been over a year since I went to Egypt and I still can’t believe I’ve been there. It is like a dream come true that still feels like a dream. Travelling Egypt was one of the best trips I have ever taken. I’m pleased to say that I crossed off almost everything on my Egypt bucket list. The only things that I missed were some of things that fall in the conflict zones. But, I’ll be back Egypt.

This was my partner’s first time leaving the continent of North America (He started big). This trip was also our first adventure as a couple. But it was amazing getting to experience Egypt together.

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About Me

Hi, I'm Arielle and these are my adventures. I seek budget travel, good food, and authentic experiences all in the name of completing my bucket list. I love cats, books, and anything Harry Potter. You can expect to hear from me every second Tuesday with updates on my quest to complete my bucket list by 40 years old. Read More…